MAN UTD TO FINISH WINDOW WITH SIX TRANSFERS AS MAJOR DEAL IS ‘DONE’ AND RATCLIFFE SHOWS DOOR TO QUINTET

Manchester United may have been one of the more active Premier League sides this summer but their business is far from complete with Sir Jim Ratcliffe hoping to welcome in at least one more major signing after Manuel Ugarte and with five players set to leave before the window slams shut.

The British billionaire pumped £1.3 billion into acquiring a 27.7% stake in the Red Devils earlier this year in a deal that also granted him full sporting control at Old Trafford. And the businessman is wasting little time in stamping his mark on the club as he looks to elevate the north-west giants into a major force in English and European football once again.

To that end, Ratcliffe has already invested some £140m into four new signings this summer with Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs De Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui all signing on the dotted line.

However, the Red Devils chief is far from finished and still hopes to add a new midfielder to his mix, while more cover and competition at left-back is also seen as desirable.

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The good news for United is that signing No 5 of the window is now just around the corner with TEAMtalk understanding that a deal is close to full agreement for Ugarte.

The Uruguayan destroyer has been cleared to leave PSG this summer and, with the midfielder making clear his wish to move to Old Trafford, personal terms with the player were agreed weeks ago.

However, the Ligue 1 giants’ €60m valuation – and their refusal to shift from that – presented a problem to United, who had shown a willingness to walk away from a deal and with sporting director Dan Ashworth beginning to explore other options.

Man Utd transfers: Ugarte deal ‘done’ as Dan Ashworth powerplay pays dividends

But with the 23-year-old adamant he wanted to move to the Red Devils only, Paris Saint-Germain have been forced to compromise and have since proposed a new offer to United, which will see them take the former Sporting Lisbon man on an initial season-long loan.

That is music to United’s ears and presents to them a near-perfect outcome, with them able to take a long look at the player, while potentially deciding if they want to make the move permanent, though PSG are understood to want the deal to include an obligation, rather than an option, to buy.

And with personal terms already in place, Ugarte will now need to just pass a medical at Old Trafford to finalise what will be an initial season-long loan switch to the Red Devils, where he will become summer signing No 5.

The fact they won’t have to fork out a fee for Ugarte now also benefits United in two other areas.

Firstly, they can use the funds saved by closing out the window by signing a new left-back with TEAMtalk revealing two massive names are under consideration by United as they look to add more depth to a position that has seriously handicapped Erik ten Hag over the past 12 months.

Ashworth’s powerplay will also likely mean United no longer necessarily need to move on Scott McTominay.

The Scotland international was likely to be used as the sacrificial lamb to help fund a move for Ugarte, with interest emerging from the likes of Napoli, Fulham, Brighton and Everton.

However, United were not yet in receipt of an offer that met their expectations, while the midfielder himself has made clear his desire to stay and to only leave for a side that truly fulfilled his career objectives.

Man Utd ready to move on unwanted quintet

And while Ratcliffe is understood to be remain open to his possible sale if the right offer comes along, Ten Hag has made clear his desire to keep the homegrown midfielder going into the new campaign.

Should he end up staying, however, United will need to consider offering the player a new deal with his current arrangement due to expire next summer, though they do hold the option of an extra year on top of that.

As a result, his future is likely to go down to the wire unless United come out in the meantime and officially tie him down to a new deal.

Four other players though do seem certain to move on, however, before the window shuts.

The first of those is likely to be Facundo Pellistri with the Uruguayan winger on the cusp of sealing a move to Greece with Panathinaikos. United will receive a fee of around £5.5m for the 22-year-old, with a further £1.5m in add-ons and a rather large sell-on percentage, believed to be as much as 25 per cent.

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Centre-half Will Fish is also expected to seal a permanent move away from Old Trafford with a switch to Championship side Cardiff City agreed. The 21-year-old has only made one senior appearance for United and departs after spending the last two seasons on loan with Hibs.

Another set for a permanent exit is Salford-born Polish midfielder Maxi Oyedele, who is set to return to his motherland by signing for Legia Warsaw. The 19-year-old has been on the club’s books since the age of eight but is yet to make his senior debut for the Red Devils.

United are also set to allow talented young Czech goalkeeper Radek Vitek move out, with a season’s loan with Austrian side BW Linz lined up in a move which should grant the imposing 6ft 6in stopper regular first-team football.

2024-08-21T09:04:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd